Some Common Bedroom Design Mistakes to Avoid

Your bedroom should be an oasis where you can retreat from the world, and maybe even from the rest of your household. It should be a place to de-stress and feel rejuvenated. It should be comfortable and calming, and it should reflect good sleep hygiene. With all these responsibilities, it's important to steer clear of common bedroom design mistakes that can interfere with your comfort, sleep, and mood while you're there. So, take a close look at the way your bedroom is set up, furnished, and decorated. And take a few minutes to think about how you feel when you're spending time in it. Have you made any of the following bedroom design mistakes?

Bedroom Design and Décor Mistakes

• Having a cluttered bedroom – Excessive use of knick-knacks, tightly packed furniture, piles of stuff on the dresser and other surfaces, and other forms of clutter can negatively affect your mood and your ability to relax, and it can even add stress.

• Bringing in electronics – Try to forgo the television in the bedroom. And the same goes for computers or laptops and other electronic devices. One exception, though: something that plays music is nice to have in the bedroom.

• Using too much bold color – Keep the bedroom walls neutral. And, while you can certainly have some bold accent color, the room will be more peaceful and relaxing if it's generally toned down and not particularly visually stimulating.

• Having cold, hard floors – This one may be a little controversial, but carpet is nicer in the bedroom than hardwood floors or other cold, hard surfaces. Go with a soft carpet that won't be shocking to you bare feet when you get out of bed in the morning (or the middle of the night), that absorbs some sound, and that can make the room feel cozier. Or, at least get a large area rug that covers most of the floor.

• Having spotlight-style lighting – Lights that give of focused beams can make the atmosphere harsher and make it harder to get sleepy. Instead, use soft, ambient-style lighting in the bedroom.

• Hanging the wrong window treatments – Opt for curtains or drapes that do a good job blocking out the light, but that you can open widely to let natural light in during the day. They should hang down just to the floor, or very close to it.

• Making the room hard to navigate – Maintain clear, wide paths for getting all around the bedroom. Nobody enjoys stubbing a toe, especially on their way to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

• Placing one side of the bed against a wall – The room will have a much more open, comfortable feel if the bed has navigable space on both sides. And it's much more convenient for getting in and out of bed, particularly if there's more than one person in it.

• Using the wrong nightstands – They should be about level with the top of your mattress. Make sure you can easily take things off and put things on them from bed. And choose nightstands with enough surface area for a small lamp and anything else you want to place on them. Take a look at the elegant solid wood nightstands in our current catalog.

• Getting cheap bedding – OK, everyone has a budget to work with. But if you're able to invest in a high-quality bed, mattress, pillows, sheets, and blankets, it's totally worth it. You'll be more comfortable and sleep better, and this can have so much positive impact on your quality of life!

• Not hanging artwork – Many people neglect the bedroom walls when it comes to decorating. But bare walls don't help a room feel cozy. Hang artwork that has a soothing effect on you.